Ontario’s Small Business Property Subclass: Considerations for Municipalities

To help address the property tax challenges created by rapid intensification in Toronto, Chris and his team at MPAC worked with the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) and the City of Toronto to advocate for more equitable tax policy for small businesses.

In designated growth areas, commercial properties were seeing assessment increases that far outpaced city-wide averages. As those rising assessments were passed on to tenants, many main street businesses faced unsustainable tax burdens. In response, Chris led efforts to analyze the issue and build support for a new solution.

The result was the creation of Ontario’s Small Business Property Tax Subclass—a new policy tool announced by the Province that municipalities could adopt to mitigate tax pressures on small business tenants. Chris and his team helped author the implementation guide, working alongside municipal partners to ensure the subclass could be deployed effectively across Ontario.

York Region Broadband Strategy

Chris initiated and project managed the development of the York Region Broadband Strategy which provides a roadmap for improved connectivity for businesses, residents and the public sector in York Region.

The Strategy was developed in partnership with York Region's nine local municipal partners (Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Aurora, King, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Newmarket, East Gwillimbury and Georgina).  To assist in developing the Strategy, large and small telecommunications companies were also engaged, including Bell, Rogers and Telus, to help shape the strategy's targets, recommendations and work plan.

The Strategy provides a range of recommended actions focusing on three key areas:

• Education and Advocacy - these actions focus on educating stakeholders on the importance of connectivity to their and the Region's success.
• Municipal Processes - these actions focus on ways municipal processes, such as access agreements and road re-construction projects, can be leveraged to encourage investments in connectivity infrastructure.
• Infrastructure Investments - these actions focus on identifying a range of infrastructure investments to improve connectivity for residents, businesses and the public sector.

To view the strategy visit: www.investinyork.ca/broadband.

York Region Post-Secondary Investment Attraction Strategy

To support York Region’s growing economy and talent needs, Chris initiated and led the development of the Region’s first Post-Secondary Investment Attraction Strategy—a framework to expand access to higher education and strengthen the region’s innovation capacity.

Developed in collaboration with York Region’s nine local municipalities and informed by input from major employers, academic institutions, and policy leaders, the strategy identified opportunities to attract a range of post-secondary investments—from targeted learning centres addressing local skill gaps to the establishment of a full-scale research campus.

The strategy also introduced a policy framework to guide regional involvement in future post-secondary partnerships, ensuring alignment with long-term planning, infrastructure priorities, and economic development objectives.

Partners in Project Green Policy Toolkit

As part of the Partners in Project Green strategy, Chris led the creation of a practical Policy Toolkit to help municipalities integrate green business priorities into planning and development processes.

Working with the cities of Toronto, Peel, Mississauga, and Brampton, the toolkit included 11 actionable resources—ranging from communication templates and policy primers to model language for official plans and zoning bylaws. Designed for ease of use, the tools supported municipal staff in promoting eco-economic development with greater clarity and consistency.

By bridging sustainability goals with day-to-day planning practice, the toolkit helped local governments build a more coherent and enabling environment for green business growth.